Movie Review: Five Nights at Freddy's

 

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review.

You know, ever since I reviewing movies based on video games, the most common what we’ve seen is they’re based on a famous games from major companies like Nintendo, SEGA, Capcom and Midway/NetherRealm. Even though those results can be either hit or miss if they’re either follow well or poorly presented compare to the video games as we all know. Those are the examples that im easily pointing out, but what about if we have a movie based on a indie game that we all know and love that its not Minecraft? Well, an animatronic jumpscare will say otherwise.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is 2023 supernatural horror movie based video games that was written/directed by Emma Tammi, co-written/produced by Scott Cawthon (Yup, the creator of FNAF himself), co-produced by Jason Blum and co written by Seth Cuddeback (for screenplay), Chris Lee Hill and Tyler Macintyre (two of them for story).

Ever since in 2014, Five Nights at Freddy’s was such a big deal where you play as a security guard to checking pizzeria and the animatronics without getting killed, or a kid trying to survive from animatronics from either nightmare vision or out to get him in a glamrock era, thanks to the mind of indie developer Scott Cawthon.

The idea of this movie was originally going to be distributed by Warner Bros when they first acquired the right to make their own with Roy Lee and Seth Grahame-Smith working as producers and the creator of FNAF, Scott Cawthon follow suit as both writer and producer. But the project went in hell development to figuring out what its going to be, either based on video game (like many people does) or based on novels of FNAF. But it wouldn’t be until Jason Blum with his own company “Blumhouse Productions” came in to bought the rights after WB bowed out from FNAF, mainly due to Jason was more than happy to working with the creator of FNAF for the movie like their passion project, even if it could be difficult that Scott wanted to be in control for the story drafts and such for this movie.

So, with all that said, is it worth of reopen Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, or is this film that we should close their doors without stuff ourselves in animatronics?

Well, lets find out.

The Story

While the game’s story aren’t as detailed (though has some complex secrets in a game), you think the movie’s story would make something bigger and better? Well, not really what I’ve expected…

It begins with a previous security guard who’s caught by Foxy and got killed for being stuffed in animatronic suit of death (already odd start to have an early body count). After that, we introduced our main character Mike Schmidt who lives with his younger sister Abby and used to work as a mall security. But after getting punishment for neglectful assault at father as a “child kidnapper” that he’s removed from the mall, as well as getting a custody threat from aunt Jane for… Reasons of broken down relationship between Mike and Abby. After getting an offer from Steve Raglan to work as a nighttime security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza as a plan to raise the money for Jane from custody, Mike accepts to work in abandoned pizzeria from 12 to 6 AM for monthly check. But did he knows is this place has a haunting history about 5 children was missing that causing this pizzeria abandoned, which causing the animatronics going out on their own, as well as Mike trying to figuring out whatever happened to his missing brother Garret, its up to Mike to watch over the animatronics (so I though if he’s trying not to sleep) and learning the darkest secret.

I find the story is followed slightly from the game ranging from our main character got hired as a nighttime security guard to watch over the animatronics to mysterious case of five missing children, which il give a credit for follow up from the game. However, despite the best effort for the plot, it feels rather weak from get-go, its mainly because the movie is focusing too much about a struggling sibling relation between Mike and Abby in order to be along together, even if it wasn’t helping that that writing on there is weak too from Mike started as a loser since he lost his brother and his sister Abby has like some kind of psychic relation with five missing children based on drawings from the hints (though im not gonna spoiling throughout the movie). But look, I get what they’re trying to be something creative to make something new with a dark secret from what happened back then, but its the execution is poor from the writing that the whole sibling problem plot just didn’t worked out how its done. There’s also a subplot of Mike is being an outcast from Max and her bully gang that they love to make Mike looking like a loser, which honestly not only they have nothing to do for the plot, but also for their purpose of body counts, which I like to see how people are gonna get killed by the animatronics, but again, it has no reason for our plain plot because of its questionable writing.

Il give a credit to be something creative while following up about watch over the animatronics and mysterious case of missing children, but sadly, the plot felt flat with weak sibling plot, some plot holes that I questioned and an unnecessary moment that has nothing to do with the main story. Not trying to disrespect to Scott Cawthon, I get what he’s trying, but its just that he’s nowhere perfect for how to make a well-crafted story in my opinion.

The Presentation

With a ridiculously cheap budget (if not the most cheapest one from Blumhouse), it costs $20M in its presentation, which despite the cheap budget they made, its surprisingly looks pretty good.

Though the filming location hasn’t been telling us where it takes place on to filming, which sucks to tell where it was filmed, since the filming what they’ve done are pretty nice, especially that im easily assuming that this film takes place in the 90s, but in reality, it takes place in somewhere in 2000, that’s an odd timeline pick where in the first game takes place in somewhere in the 90s. And of course, il give an appreciation of the set of the interior of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where in a game we rarely see what this place looks like, which is exactly what I like to see what this pizzeria looks like, it looks fun, colorful, it has fun arcade machines and this place is nearly huge, even though its not as big that it doesn’t have climbing tunnels and slides or such others, but at least it has ball pit.

Of course, the most highlighted part of this movie is the use of animatronics. Im glad the animatronics like Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Fredbear (aka Golden Freddy) look faithful from the actual game, which im assuming what Scott really want his animatronics (which if you look at some previous movies before Pokemon: Detective Pikachu or Sonic The Hedgehog, some designs are trying to look different, but badly results, depending if you like it or not), which I understand why Cawthon wanted to be fully involved, but at least the animatronics are looking good like in a good,, big, bulky and somewhat scary looking. Though im disappointed they don’t do the eyes removal to showing black eyes with white dot to make’ em look scary, instead the eyes are use of different colors based on emotion, its fine I guess, but I like if they took out their eyes to make them look even creepier if they’re going to attacking our main character. They also included some rejected animatronics, one of them Im surprised is Sparky the Dog, this guy is obviously made as a hoax on the internet, but thanks to cultural phenomenon, its no stranger that dog will be in a movie as an Easter Egg (Nice touch). There’s also a rejected doll, which I don’t know why its there, im assuming its meant to be referencing Puppet in FNAF 2, but I wasn’t so sure. Also, the animatronics design are done by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, though why they look cool, but im easily assuming they’ve done two things, one is they did with actual animatronics, and other times just performers in their bulky animatronic costumes.

Of course, since this is a horror movie (based on a indie game), what better way to have a good’ol fashion body counts, while I like to see animatronics killing people, but the major downside of this movie is, much like Venom, The Batman or whatever films out there, this film isn’t R-Rated, instead its Rated PG-13, which basically means, aside of small amount of blood and wounds, we can hardly see the on-screen kills, not to mention, we see some animatronics does the attack or kills such as Freddy, Bonnie, Foxy and Chica’s Cupcake, the latter of which that I find that little feela is too cute to killing somebody, I guess Chica herself just shrugged off to letting her cupcake taking its action.

While I give a credit for the effects, the set and the design, but one part of presentation ruins it is when our characters using a taser, rather than doing a realistic electric effect, its obviously use of CG and boy the electrocution effect look soo cheaply bad. I don’t know its either they don’t wanna risking their lives for doing the actual electrocution or its just a last minute decision to make a cheap CG effect.

Like I said before about Sparky the dog, the movie has a couple of Easter Eggs, which I was easily pointed and recognized while watching it, but see it for yourself if you’re curious about Easter Eggs.

Aside of cheaply bad CG, the movie’s presentation is no secret to be the highlight of this movie than the writing. Speaking of the latter…

The Characters

You think if the characters could make something promising some left out from the games? Well, sad to say, the characters aren’t as safe from a bellow writing.

Lets start off with our main hero, Mike Schmidt (played by Josh Hutcherson, aka Peeta from The Hunger Game), where as in the game, Mike is just an ordinary security guard that we’re playing as to get a monthly check to survive. In this movie, he’s portraying as a man who’s being a loser that he lost his brother Garret, his sister didn’t trusted him and lost his mall security before gets confident to be a nighttime security in Fazbear’s pizza. Yeah, he’s pretty much being a loser that almost everyone don’t like him for what happened to him before working in Fazbear’s pizza, but even if he’s in a nighttime security business for his high hope, but he’s still being a loser, especially when he falls asleep in business (Well ok, I did fell asleep in business when I got lightheaded for some reason after my lunch, but at least I don’t time nighttime business). Well ok, its for probably a purpose to learn what he’s learning what happened to his past, as weirdly well as encountered five ghostly dead children, but still it wasn’t helping how he’s much as a loser. I know he’s getting better after the second act, but it didn’t helping that im still thinking he’s much as a loser than most of past security guards. Im trying to bashing at Josh, I think he did an ok acting in this movie, he may or may not have charismatic, but at least il give a credit, but we can easily blaming the script what he received for his portrayal.

Next up, we have Abby (played by Piper Rubio), she’s Mike’s young sister who didn’t have a care to Mike and she likes to drawing about five children with for some reason, she’s the only one who can interacting our four animatronics. Im assuming she has a like a psychic mind reading at the animatronics based on drawing of five children that they’re meant to possessing animatronics in the most common theory as we know, but I find it questionable, I mean I get her drawing, but I questioned how she’s able to interacting the animatronics, while the adults like Mike made the animatronics hostile against them. Which it didn’t make any sense since the animatronics are possessed in a desire of killing people, killing adults, its good, but killing kids as animatronics, big no-no, which is ironic that when we have FNAF: Security Breach, the glamrock animatronics are literally attacking our main kid, but that’s a different story. Again, nothing against Piper, but I think she’s doing a pretty good acting as a new child actor in this movie, which im pretty sure she’s having fun in this movie, specially with weirdly interacting with animatronics, but still il give credit for her.

After that, we have Vanessa (played by Elizabeth Lail), she’s a local police officer to checking what’s going on about Freddy Fazbear’s pizza and giving us the detail about the pizzeria’s dark side with missing children. At first, I find her name is referencing security guard with a same name in FNAF: Security Breach, but she’s not gonna be like a mean security guard, here (with her last name Shelly in a movie), she’s a police officer to giving us a plot development as well as be warned at Mike if it could be worse if a child like his sister Abby coming in pizzeria longer and longer. I find her ok, she’s just there for plot convenient about the dark secret, but of course, Lail did a nice work of her role.

The same can’t be said with Steve Raglan (played by current Shaggy Rogers, Matthew Lillard), a career counselor to giving Mike a chance to working as a security guard in Freddy Fazbear’s pizza, as well as giving an early details about the history of this pizzeria and… That’s the only time we’ve ever seen him in a first act. Im assuming he’s meant to be Phone Guy (the caller who gives us about the situation of the past since FNAF 1), but he’s just only shown once in the first act, which a shame, since Matt Lillard did a pretty good work of his role. And yes, im aware he’s also playing William Afton, the main villain of FNAf and the owner of pizzeria, but, im not gonna give more spoiler of where Bill Afton is in this movie.

And last but not least, are the 5 missing children, as we all know, they only shown in Mike’s dream when he’s finding the truth how Garret is missing, they’re there for either teasing him or flat out trying to attack him with possessed animatronics. Which as we all know, in the game, they’re the spirits that either attack us or seeking scary vengeance at Bill Afton. In this movie, they’re like making a warning message, especially with the main blond kid (played by Grant Feely) who’s like the leader and the first missing kid from the past where he warns our main hero for what will happen or something, though im assuming he’s meant to be The Crying Kid in FNAF 4 based on wearing a stripe shirt and representing a rare spirit of Golden Freddy (aka Fredbear), il give a credit for adding a missing kids in the dream, but again, the execution is poor from a bad writing.

As for the rest of the casts, there aren’t as anything new, they’re obviously just there for being killed (Yeah, my apology for the spoiler, despite again, they’re nothing to do with the plot), there’s Jane (played by Mary Stuart Masterson) who’s the aunt of Mike and Abby where she warns at Mike for the custody based on sibling problem, despite she has nothing to do with the freakin’ plot, Max (played by Kat Conner) who’s Abby’s babysitter and Jeff (played by David Lind) who’s the gang of bully at Mike, along with his partner/babysitter Max to… Well, wasting our time to see them bullying at Mike before they’re ended up in a body counts.

Talk about having characters for wasting our time and space in the movie.

But, the movie does have a fun cameo, mainly the good’ol Youtube Personalities, there CoryxKenshin (aka Cory Williams) who plays as a taxi driver, which il give a fun credit for his role in the movie, and last but not least, the big Game Theorist himself, MatPat, who simply playing as a waiter in a restaurant, aw well, but good for MatPat.

However, one Youtuber who didn’t get a chance to be in a movie is one of my favorite, Markiplier (aka Mark Fischbach), in fact, he was asked to make be in a cameo role, mainly playing as the first victim in the opening, but Mark refused to be in a movie due to schedule conflict, In reality, he’s busy making his biggest passion project “Iron Lung” as not only actor, but also both writer, producer and director (Man, what a badass Mark is). Aw well.

The characters are bellow average at best, whole il give a credit for the actors, but then again, we can easily blaming at the script they’re getting what we have in this movie.

And now for my final opinion of this film

Overall, Five Nights at Freddy’s movie is, it has a potential after we’ve been waiting for so long, but unfortunately, the result is a complete disappointment that its nothing but a mixed bag to bellow movie.

Il give a credit what they’re going to be followed from the game from the main plot of Mike working as a security guard to survive, a faithful design of the animatronics, an ok inclusion of missing kids based on dark secret from pizzeria, a fascinating kills and some good acting.

But everything else about this movie is trying but disappointing with poor writing that its just nearly boring, a cheap jumpscares, kills that we unable to see something interesting due to being Rated PG-13, questionable plot holes and some characters are either forgettable or a waste of space.

I mean, I get what Scott Cawthon has been involved with this movie that he wanted to be involved what he wanted as both writer and producer of his attempt of making movie based on his own game. Im not gonna blame him, I know what he’s trying, but what he’s trying to making his own movie, it would’ve been promising if he could give us some fascinating writing what we like to learn instead fell apart to making it as a boring and disappointed result. Again, im not gonna bashing the creator of FNAF series, he tried, he really tried after so many years of waiting, but ended in a mixed result.

I know some of you will liking this movie after so many years, but for me, I may liked it, but disappointed for its final result as a very mixed bag movie. This movie is definitely gearing towards FNAF fans to see it so badly after many years of waiting. Otherwise, maybe stick to playing video games. But for me, despite the box-office success and the fans loved it, I’d say its a mixed bag film that im easily stick to The Super Mario Bros Movie. Sorry Scott, you may trying you best, but you made a movie that turned out to be a mixed result.

For my rating, im gonna give this one a 4.5/10. Im not sure if I wanna re-watch movie when I get a DVD or Blu-Ray, but again, some fans loved it, but some (like me) felt it would’ve been better.

So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.